Together
by 1cupoftea
Summary: The Empress struggles to make time for her daughter in the midst of a hectic week. But eventually, an opportunity comes around.


The wind snapped into his face rudely so he opted in burying it in the collar of his coat. A nice coat it was - brimmed with gold that complimented the dark navy material, and softened considerably with down feathers in the interior for warmth. He strode two steps at a time up the stairs impatiently, eager to escape the chill of the stone walls of the Tower. He found exactly who he was looking for as he turned into the hallway.

* * *

He kissed her on her neck; and again; and another time. She stiffened and moved to rebuff him. "No. No. No. Two kisses per day. Remember? We said two kisses per day." He stopped, stepped back, and they looked at each other. Their thoughts strung together before they said anything. The same kind of smile formed on both of their faces and he bowed in mock repentance.

"I apologise, your Majesty." He straightened when he heard her breath of laughter, a sound that lightened his heart, and she stepped closer to place her hands on his shoulders. "I can forgive you this once, Lord Protector. But in the future I don't expect to have to remind you of it again." The amusement in her voice was evident. He had found her in the hallway outside her office, and although it was darkened with the absence of any strong light, she prayed that nobody turned the corner to catch them so intimately with each other. She kissed him very quickly on the mouth and smiled wider at his baffled expression, before it turned quickly to mirth. He was about to give a sharp-tongued reply when a voice broke out from around the corner. "Your Majesty!"

They moved away from each other - quick, practised; transitioned fluidly into professional conduct. It was almost natural at this point, evading as many prying eyes as possible to keep their relationship out of the limelight. The rumours never ended, however, fuelled by Emily's existence. Which happened to be the topic of the interruption.

The maid appeared from around the corner just in time - having travelled all the way from the room of the little princess - to see them appropriately positioned from each other. "Your Majesty, Emily is having trouble sleeping. She will not sit still. We tried to calm her with warm milk and honey, even a bedtime story, but she refused and requested her mother." She stopped to calm her breath. "I apologise for the interruption, your Majesty." She curtsied politely.

It was very late in the night, and the Empress was no doubt on her way to prepare for bed after spending hours with troublesome documents and pending decrees. Corvo had been summoned by the Spymaster for a report on suspicious activity and with reluctance left the Empress by herself. Jessamine smiled at the flustered maid. "Thank you. She can really be restless sometimes, I appreciate your effort. You are dismissed for the evening. I will tend to her." The woman left in a hurry as not to hold up her Empress any longer.

Jessamine sighed and started making her way to her daughter's chambers, anticipating what Emily had in store tonight. Corvo followed closely behind her, struggling to keep the amused smile from his face. She caught it with her sharp eyes and matched it with her own. "What is so amusing, Lord Protector?" The use of his formal title made him break into a grin.

"Nothing, _your Majesty._ Merely wondering what is keeping the young princess awake this time." They continued walking. "I would also like to urge her Majesty to reconsider her recent ban."

She looked at him curiously before realising what he was talking about. "Which one are you referring to? The one about the use of unlicensed ships? I hardly think that it is a ban to lift, seeing as it is linked to criminal activity and the black market. Wouldn't want to fuel that, would we." Again with the amused lilt in her voice. He loved her teasing. He shook his head slightly and stopped, and she followed suit. "I was actually talking about another ban, Empress. It is inconvenient, on my part." He dared to step closer and kiss her boldly on the lips, and when they broke apart she whispered in his ear. "You have a good point. However, in what other means would I be able to control my Lord Protector? He doesn't seem to be able to abstain."

He smiled. "Two kisses simply isn't enough. I'm sure her Majesty can understand that. And I think she agrees." She hummed in delight and took hold of his collar to lean closer. "Yes, he is quite bold. I could fire him. Or maybe I should do something about it myself." She kissed him again, deeper, and again, until they finally stepped away from each other to avoid taking things further. It was a ridiculous 'ban.' Of course it was - she wasn't being serious when she initiated it, but he loved to tease her. She turned her smirking expression away and continued down the hallway as if nothing happened, and he tried his best to keep up with her invigorated stride.

* * *

When they reached Emily's room, she had leapt up immediately from the bed and into the arms of her mother. "Mama!" Jessamine embraced her daughter, placing kisses on her cheeks and lifted her to hold her in her arms. At 6, Emily - despite being adorable and imaginative - was rambunctious and not easy to manage. She constantly strayed from her morning classes and grew bored with the droning of her teachers. She argued that they were dull people who had no idea how to talk to children. When she wasn't occupied with books or toys, she found other ways to entertain herself, which unfortunately involved playing 'innocent' pranks or bothering staff. The garden was a place she loved to explore, thinking up vast worlds of pirates and witches and monsters amongst the tall grass around the pond and under the shade of the great apple tree. Jessamine suspected that this would quell her spells of rebellion and misbehaviour. And with an armada of maids, she could at least be controlled. She made sure that specific clothes were made for her to use in the garden, as not to spoil beautifully-crafted garments (like a muddied white dress from a couple of days ago). However she was horrified one day when her daughter had burst through the doors with a frog in her little hands. It dripped pond water on the carpet and she seemed eager to share her find, interrupting the meeting between the Empress and her advisors, who stared blankly in shock as Jessamine excused herself with a scarlet face. Afterwards Emily had been given a long talk about the appropriate time to share certain discoveries, and how busy mummy was during the day, only to be disturbed if there was an absolute emergency. Emily had apologised, and so did Jessamine for her constant absence, but her daughter had gone to bed slightly forlorn.

Jessamine smoothed back Emily's hair. "What is bothering you, my darling? You mustn't be awake at such a late hour." She tried to be as patient as she could with her daughter despite her difficult behaviour. After all, the poor girl was probably bored to death with the mundane life of a princess and the absence of a true family unit. Expectations mounted heavily on her shoulders even at such a young age. Hopefully as she grew, she would begin to understand. Jessamine sat on the edge of the bed with the girl still in her arms. Corvo was as silent as a shadow in the corner.

"I can't sleep. I don't _want_ to sleep." She fiddled with the collar of Jessamine's coat. "I'm not tired."

"Emily, you are being stubborn. Calm your thoughts, my dear. There is time for them tomorrow." She set her down on the bed and pealed back the thick cover. "Tuck yourself in well, it looks like it will continue snowing through the night." Corvo had begun attending to the fire, prodding the crackling logs with a poker. Emily crawled under the covers but didn't pull them any higher from her waist. "It's not that cold," she protested, "I have the fireplace!" Jessamine tsked and brought a hand to tickle her stomach as she spoke in a playful tone, causing Emily to giggle. "It seems that nobody listens to me these days! First Corvo," He looked up with a smile, "and now my own daughter! What a shame, I might as well let someone else rule the Empire."

Emily's eyes brightened."Who?" She asked eagerly. The Empress paused as if to think and then leaned forward to whisper loudly. "I supposed it would have to be Burrows."

Her daughter squirmed. "No, no! Not _Burrows._ "

"Why not?"

"He's _scary."_ Both adults let out a laugh and Corvo came over to sit in the chair next to the bed. Emily seemed proud to have amused them, and Jessamine leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I love you, my darling, my beautiful, funny girl. You have a great imagination. Now get some rest, tomorrow you can play in the snow."

"With Corvo?"

Jessamine glanced at him. "Yes."

"With you?" Emily fixed her eyes on her mother's in anticipation. Her mother was busy, she knew, the Empress does not do such things, she was told…but maybe...

"Yes. With me, and Corvo. I'll move any meetings to another time. It will be just for us. Our special day."

Emily's smile was enough to melt her heart and she couldn't help feeling a some guilty for how swamped she has been in the past week. Ultimately time with her daughter was cut short. Sometimes non existent. She must've yearned for more time spent together, bored and lonely in her room with older women serving as a companion - maids that, although they tried their best, couldn't match her mother's company. If at least she could visit to tell her goodnight, to tell her 'I love you' or read her a story, Emily would sleep more soundly.

* * *

Jessamine stopped outside her bedroom to bid her Lord Protector goodnight. He bowed almost immediately - something so typical of him. "Sleep well your Majesty." She turned the handle to open the door when he spoke again. "She misses you. She loves it when you talk to her. I can tell by her demeanour - she is brighter somehow. I think tomorrow will make her very happy." He has always had a keen sense of perception. He had to, for his position.

She smiled fondly at him but didn't say anything, so he took the chance to kiss her properly. Her hands went to his shoulders again and she hummed into his mouth. She was in a daze - either from exhaustion or him or both - and he stepped away so quickly that she blinked in surprise. He bowed and turned to walk away. She watched him go, then closed the door and began preparing for bed.

* * *

The next morning Emily was elated, and made a show of this by hurtling herself onto the sleeping form of her mother, yelling quite loudly that it's snowing and wake up mummy it's already half past eight. Breakfast was a faster affair than usual, and fidgety on Emily's part, as she kept swinging her legs and clinking her cutlery, claiming she was finished with her food. There was a regular 'sit still, your Highness' from the maids but she couldn't contain her excitement. Finally when she was fussed over and dressed, the young princess flew out of the doors of the Tower before anyone could stop her and promptly dived into the snow with a happy shriek. She disappeared from Corvo's view but he soon spotted her emerging from the white mass. Her dark hair made her stand out, otherwise she would be difficult to identify with the pale winter clothes she was wearing. He began trudging after her. Such silence. It filled him with a profound feeling of peace. How beautiful the Tower was when it was dressed in snow. Solemn and regal. Somehow dignified, like the Empress herself.

"Corvo! Let's make a snowman!" Her voice cracked from the looming walls of the palace. He made a quick sweep of the area, spotting several guards at their posts so he allowed himself to relax for the time being. When he reached Emily she was already lumping together snow to form the base and he staggered next to her to help. The snow was almost knee deep, but thankfully soft and powdery. Jessamine arrived shortly afterwards. In a sleek winter coat, hair in her usual style, and Corvo had trouble keeping his eyes off of her. Although it was his job. Technically.

Jessamine looked up at their work when they finished. Her gaze moved to her beaming daughter and her handsome Lord Protector, who was currently aiming a snowball at the shrieking princess. This was the closest thing she could have to a normal family life, she knew. They all knew, all sensed it, somehow in the air between them. And it was wonderful.

 **A** **uthor notes:**

 **(I tried.** **Hope you enjoyed, please feel free to leave constructive feedback)**

 **I imagine that Emily was quite a handful. I also would think that being the daughter of an Empress had its difficult moments (it certainly is unique) and Jessamine would sometimes struggle to spend a lot of time with her daughter, amongst ruling and keeping her relationship with Corvo as secret as possible. As Emily grows she would mature and understand her role as future Empress, but for now she is still a curious child wanting someone to play with.**


End file.
